A Risky Friendship
by cdbazemore98
Summary: Melanie and Stephanie are two best friends with older brothers who hate each other. What happens when the two brothers find out about the girls friendship? Will the girls ever see each other again? Will Stephanie reconnect with her brother? Will Valentine's Day be a success or a disaster for the girls?
1. Chapter 1: Two best friends

**Hey guys. Well, it's the month of Valentine's Day, so you know what that means... a Valentine's day story! About friendship... and family. There's no actual romance, but there will be hints, though. Anyways, this is about what happens when two best friends older brothers (Who are sworn enemies) find out about their friendship, and what could happen to it. Enjoy!**

**PS: Today is my one year anniversary of joining FanFiction. So I'm posting this story because of it! (Plays Big Time Rush's 'Confetti Falling' while confetti falls)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jake and the Never Land Pirates. They belong to Disney Junior. Though I do own Melanie and Stephanie.**

Chapter 1: Two best friends

"Come on, Stephy! Hurry up!"

"Don't rush me, Mels. I'm running as fast as I can!"

Two girls were on there way to see a special event. That special event being watching new flowers bloom. While Melanie (The nicer one) was very excited, Stephanie (the tougher one) wasn't so crazy about them.

Melanie was a sweet girl with red hair, green eyes, and wore blue. Stephanie was a tomboy, and also had red hair, green eyes, but wore purple. One of thing about Stephanie was... that she was evil. But only when she wanted to be. Melanie still cared for her, even if she was rough.

Despite the girls different personalities, they were best friends.

Soon, the girls made it to the flower patch. Melanie smiled wildly as she saw the beautiful colored plants. Stephanie just rolled her eyes as she groaned. "Do we have to see this _all the time?!" _She asked. "What's so great about flowers anyway?"

"It's nice to see flowers bloom because it's their being born. Like babies." Melanie answered. "Besides, it's a blessing."

As much as Stephanie wanted to disagree, she didn't want to argue with her friend, knowing that arguing will make Melanie upset, and she didn't want to make her upset. Soon, the flowers began to open up, releasing bright sparkles all around. Melanie squealed with happiness, while Stephanie just grinned a bit. _Maybe it isn't such a bad moment after all. _She thought.

The girls continued to stare at the flowers before all were done blooming. Afterwards, the girls began to leave. They chatted about things such as going on new adventures, discovering new things. It was all going well, until Melanie brought up a particular subject.

"You know, Valentine's Day is coming soon. I planning on visiting my brother by that time. Do you wanna come with me? Maybe you could see your brother."

At the mention of her brother, Stephanie frowned and turned away. She never liked to talk about her brother, and Melanie knew that. Mostly because, unknown to Melanie, Stephanie and her brother had a deep dark past together. Okay, so Melanie knew about that. But Stephanie only gave her so little details. "You know... my brother and I don't exactly get along..." Stephanie reminded her.

"I know, Steph. But maybe this event could get you and your brother to reunite." Melanie suggested.

Stephanie just sighed. Melanie had absolutely no idea how bad her past was with her brother. She wished she could tell her friends, but she didn't want to upset her either. As long as she had a friend, Stephanie felt free... very free. _I do feel free without my brother. _She thought. _But I haven't seen him in a long time. Maybe... if I see him again... we can make amends... I hope..._

After a moment silence, Stephanie made her decision.

"Okay... I'll go... but I don't think I'll like it."

Melanie smiled. "Thanks, Steph. You'll like it. I'm sure your brother really misses you."

_I doubt it. _Stephanie thought.

"Come on, we've got Valentines day gifts to make now!"

With that, the girls began to hurry to their treehouse, which was big enough for the two of them. Upon arrival, they discovered a note on their door. Stephanie ripped it off and began to read it.

**Hi, Melanie!**

**I was wondering if you wanted to come to come to Never Land for Valentine's Day. Maybe you could bring your friend with you. I really wanna meet her.**

**Love, Jake**

Melanie giggled. "See, Stephy. Even Jake wants to see you." She told her friend. Stephanie grinned a bit. _So her brother wants to see me. I wonder what he looks like._

Soon, the girls began to work on their gifts, as well as preparing for their trip to Never Land.

"You're a good friend, Mel." Stephanie told her.

"You too, Stephy." Melanie replied.

**Yes! I know all my first chapters for my stories are always short. But their just the introductions. Isn't Mel and Steph's friendship just so interesting! Melanie is as sweet as pie, while Stephanie is as tough as nails. But they're able to tolerate each other. Next chapter we'll see them making their gifts, and we'll see their brothers in the next chapter too. I'll see you guys later. And don't forget to review, please. Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2: Two rivaling enemies

**Hi, guys. Can you believe that it snowed again today? And we still came to school? Anyways, here is another chapter of ARF! This is where Melanie and Stephanie are busy making their Valentine's Day gifts, we see them travel on their way to Never Land, and we see their rivaling brothers. I hope you enjoy this!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jake and the Never Land Pirates. They belong to Disney Junior. But I do own Melanie and Stephanie.**

Chapter 2: Two rivaling enemies

February 7, 2014

Melanie was busy drawing hearts and flowers for her Valentine's Day cards, while Stephanie was cutting hearts out with scissors. She absolutely loved scissors. Mostly because they were sharp, and she loved sharp things. That's why Melanie had to keep a close eye on her whenever she held a sharp object, just in case she tries to use it on a living thing.

"Do we have to make so many, Mels?" Stephanie asked as she cut another heart out.

"Just enough for our friends... and our brothers." Melanie answered.

At the mention of the word 'brothers', Stephanie frowned once again. As much as she want didn't want to make her friends upset, she really didn't want to see her brother again. Not after what he put her through long ago. _I highly doubt that boy had changed since I left. _She thought. _There's no way. I don't want things to be awkward between us when we meet again. I hope he isn't too pissed that I ran away from home._

"You know, Stephy. I can imagine our brothers getting along." Melanie spoke up, interrupting the evil girls thoughts.

"Ya think so?"

"Yeah! What if they've met already? I can see them talking right this minute..."

Meanwhile on Never Land

"You're a horrid person!" Jake snapped at his evil doppelganger in front of him.

_"Well,_ you're no better!" Blake snarled back.

The two pirate boys were at it again. Arguing over something that one of them did, which made the other pretty mad. Their crew mates stood behind their leaders, holding them back just in case their fight turned physical. Yes, there were times where the boys wanted to kill each other, but neither could bring themselves to do so.

Jake couldn't kill his enemy because he wasn't like that person.

Blake couldn't kill his enemy because Jake reminded him of someone important in his life... but he couldn't remember who...

After almost an hour of the boys screaming at each other, Blake ended it. "You know what. Screw it. No matter how much we fight, I will always hate you."

Jake growled. "Same to you, jerk!"

With that, the boys stormed off in different directions, with their crew mates following behind. Both boys were fuming right now, so they really need to be alone right now.

Back with the girls...

Melanie and Stephanie had finished making their gifts... and were now ready to go.

"So... what did you make your brother?" Melanie asked.

"I'm not tell you anything. It's a secret." Stephanie answered. "What did you make for your brother?"

"I can't tell you either. It's a secret too." Melanie giggled. Stephanie grinned. The real reason she didn't want to tell about her gift was... she thought it wasn't good enough. It wasn't much, and it wasn't too big. _Will he like it? _Stephanie thought. _I really hope so. If he doesn't... he can take it and shove it where he shouldn't!_

The girls loaded a row boat with their gifts and cards, and on they went. Stephanie did most of the rowing, since she had most of the strength of the two. As she rowed, Melanie began to count the cards and gifts, making sure that she had all of them. Melanie loved to keep count of things, and make sure that things were in order. And making sure gifts were perfect was very important to her.

As for Stephanie, she couldn't care less if things were in order. She was evil, after all. The most important thing to her... was Melanie. Because she was the only person that actually cared about Stephanie... unlike one person...

"Golly, Stephy. You really row hard. You already have marks on your arms." Melanie pointed out. Stephanie's green eyes widened as she looked down to her arms. Melanie was right as she noticed the red marks on the upper parts on her arm. But what Melanie didn't know was that those marking did not come from her rowing the boat.

_She can't know... _Stephanie though bitterly. _She can **never **know. I don't wanna make her worried._

It was a good thing the Never Land wasn't very far from the girls island, so it had taken just 20 minutes to get there. To be honest, Stephanie has only been to Never Land once. But it was a long time ago, so she didn't remember much from the first visit.

"I would really love to meet your brother, Steph. I bet he's as amazing as my brother." Melanie said.

_I wish. _Stephanie thought.

Soon, the girls had made it to Never Land. To Stephanie, it was beautiful. Even if the first thing she saw was Shipwreck Beach. Melanie had covered the gifts with a blanket so nobody else would find them until Valentine's Day. As Stephanie first stepped foot on the sand, she felt a breeze... but not the good kind. She felt a breeze that something was wrong... something was waiting for her... and it was evil...

"Now! Let's find my brother. And maybe we can find yours, too." Melanie suggested. Stephanie agreed, and off the girls went into the Never Land forest. Once again, to Stephanie, the forest looked a lot more beautiful then from when she saw it a long time ago. There were various plants and animals... a bit too cheerful to Stephanie, but she knew better than to complain about it in front of Melanie.

_Well. This place may be sorta too happy... but it's worth it I guess. _Stephanie thought.

"Melanie! Is that you?"

Melanie gasped when she heard that voice, for she knew who it belong to. Stephanie looked around, until she noticed a two boys, a girl, and a green parrot walking towards them. Melanie squealed with happiness as she ran towards them, hugging the boy who was leading. "Jake! I'm so happy to see you!" She giggled as Jake gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Hi, Mellie. Did you miss me?" Jake asked.

"I sure did. Missed you a whole bunch!"

"So did I."

Stephanie couldn't help but grin as she saw her friends reunite with her brother. "I want you meet my best friend, Stephanie." Melanie gestured over to her evil friend, who waved slightly. She was too busy staring at Jake... who looked very familiar... too familiar...

_Oh geez... he looks just... like... _

"Blake!"

Stephanie's thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone call her brother's name. She turned and saw a boy walk up to her. A boy she knew all too well.

"B-Blake?" She asked.

Blake stopped in his tracks when he saw the girl in front of him...

"Stephanie?"

"Wait! You know him?" Jake asked in disbelief.

"Yes... he's my brother." Stephanie answered.

"What?!"

"You mean... the vile and cruel Blake is your _brother?!_" Izzy asked in disbelief._  
_

Stephanie nodded as she stared at her brother. He hadn't changed a bit... although he did look a bit taller than before. Blake stared back at his sister. She hadn't changed at all... although her hair had gotten longer. But one thing that hadn't changed at all about the both of them... is that their green eyes still had the malice and evil in them that they had in the past.

_I can't believe it.. Stephanie had returned. _Blake thought.

Though his thoughts were interrupted when Jake drew his sword, and jumps in front of Melanie. "Alright, you two. You'd better stay away from my sister!" He warned.

"Jake! Stephanie is my friend." Melanie reminded him.

"Yeah! And Melanie is my friend. My _only _friend." Stephanie added.

The girls brothers glared at each other, looking like they were ready to fight. From the looks on their faces, Melanie and Stephanie could tell that their brother's were enemies. And that wasn't good for the both of them.

Because if their brothers were enemies... what could that mean for Valentine's Day? And what could that mean for their friendship?

**Well. Stephanie has met Jake (just barely), Melanie has met Blake (just barely), and the girls find out that their brothers are enemies. What will happen to their friendship? Will the boys forbid them to see each other? Will Melanie find out more about Stephanie's dark past? Will Stephanie make amends with her brother? Will Valentine's Day be ruined by the boys rivalry? Will Blake do something he'll regret? You'll find out as the future chapters come around. But what do you think? Tell me you thoughts in a review. Well, that's it for this chapter. I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you.**


	3. Chapter 3: Friendship destroyed

**Hey everyone. Valentine's Day isn't too far away, so I might not get this story done by that time, but I will be updating for most of this month. So, here's another chapter. This is where we answer one of the questions. What will happen to Melanie and Stephanie's friendship? Will it be destroyed by the rivarly of their brothers? Just read and find out Enjoy!**

**PS: We also get a sneak peek of what Stephanie's life was like with her brother.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jake and the Never Land Pirates. They belong to Disney Junior. Though I do own Melanie and Stephanie.**

Chapter 3: Friendship destroyed

It was silent between Melanie and Stephanie's brothers as they gave each other death stares. Both girls wanted to speak up, but they didn't want to provoke the boys or anything. After that silence, Jake spoke up.

"I should've known Stephanie would be your sister. It was obvious since she and Mel look alike." Jake told his evil tyrant double.

"I should've known Melanie would be _**your** _sister. It was obvious since she and Steph look alike." Blake replied bitterly.

Melanie tapped her brother on his should to get his attention. She didn't like where this was going, and she wanted to stop it. "Uh, Jake. Listen. Stephanie is not a-"

"I don't mean to interrupt, Melanie, but Stephanie is related to that no good, vile, cruel, villainous demon in front of us." Jake stated. Stephanie would have killed Jake for insulting her brother, if it wasn't for the fact that he was right. _He's right. _She thought as her brother stepped in front of her. "So I'm a demon to you! But you can't insult my sister!" Blake snapped, caressing his sister's cheek. This made Stephanie very uncomfortable. _He's trying to play the good guy. He always does in this public._ She thought bitterly.

It sort of upset Melanie to see her friend just standing behind her brother. Then again, _she _was standing behind _her _own brother. Both girls stared at each other in worry. To them, it would only be a matter of time before the boys strike each other. So they held on to their brother's arms just in case. "Izzy. Cubby. Take Melanie home for me." Jake ordered his crew. Melanie gasped and was about to protest when she saw the look on his face. That's when she knew he was serious. Reluctantly, she began to follow the pirate boy and girl.

"Stephanie, I want you to go back to Lucky at Shipwreck Beach." Blake ordered. Stephanie started to protest as well. "But, brother-"

"NOW!" He yelled, pointing to the other way. Stephanie glared at her brother coldly, and began to storm off towards Shipwreck Beach. _He's hasn't changed at all, that's for sure. He's probably gonna do what he did years ago when he gets back. _She thought as she walked. Blake glared back at his good double, and growled. "If I knew that Melanie was your _sister, _I would never let Stephanie be friends with a goody two shoes."

Jake snarled back. "Same for Melanie. I would never let her be friends with a snarky evil girl. I know she's just as bad as you are." Blake walked up to the pirate boy, and grabbed him by the collar. "You better keep your sister away from mine." He whispered darkly. "I don't want her near Stephanie ever again."

"Same for your sister. I don't want her near Melanie either." Jake whispered back.

With that, the boys stormed off in the opposite directions.

Later on, Melanie was sitting in her brother's room. She was told to wait in there until Jake got back, since he wanted to talk to her. But what did he want to talk to her about? She hoped she wasn't in trouble or anything. But whatever he wanted to talk to her about, it had to be serious. _I don't know why Jake doesn't get along with that Blake boy... they seemed to hate each other a lot... _She thought.

After sitting in the room for almost an hour, Jake came in. He sat down on his bed beside his sister. "Melanie... we need to talk... about Stephanie." He started off slowly. Melanie grinned. "Oh yeah? She's a really good friend."

"She's _evil._" Jake pointed out. "Just like her brother. Probably even worse than him."

"She may be evil, but only when she feels to need to. Most of the times, she's really sweet, and sometimes hardcore." Melanie told her brother.

"It doesn't matter, Melanie. She's still evil. And I don't want her to hurt you."

"She's never hurt me! Ever!"

"Probably because she's just waiting for the right moment. If you guys are still friends, she might do something to ruin that friendship!"

"What are you trying to say?!"

"I'm trying to say that I don't want you and Stephanie to be friends anymore!"

Melanie was about to fire back when she tried to comprehend what Jake said.

_I don't want you and Stephanie to be friends anymore!_

"W-What?" Melanie asked for assurance.

Jake started to glare at the nine year old. "You heard me." He replied. Melanie was outraged. Jake was trying to separate her and Stephanie?! How could he?! They were best friends, and they were inseparable. The girl stood up from the bed and faced her brother, her green eyes flashing with anger. "You can't _do _that!" She exclaimed. "Stephanie is my best friend! We've been best friends ever since we met. Stephanie would always help me when I'm in a jam, and I'd do the same for her! I don't care if she's evil or sadistic as her brother, she's still my friend. I love her for her wit! I love her for who she is!"

Jake was rather startled by his sister's outburst. But unfortunately, he had something to fire back at her. "I don't care about what you think of her!" He snapped, now standing himself. "And I can separate you two! I am your older brother, so you are suppose to listen to me! Remember when I told you the last time you visited?! You are my responsibility, and I will _**not **_spoil you! I just trying to do this for your own protection, and you're not taking it seriously! So I will say this again: You are _**not **_allowed to see or talk to Stephanie ever again! Am I clear?"

Melanie was almost close to tears at her brother's chiding, that she only stuttered. "Um... u-u-u-um.."

"I said: AM I CLEAR?!" Jake asked again with more force and sterness in his voice. Melanie nodded quickly, and turned away from her brother. "Good." He said. "Starting now, you won't talk to Stephanie, play with Stephanie, or even look at Stephanie... I already discussed this with her brother."

With that, Jake left the room, leaving his sister all alone. Now Melanie was rather glad that he left, because she couldn't really face him for a long time. How could he just separate her and Stephanie? And the fact that Stephanie's brother also agreed... it almost made her sick. _I can't believe it... I can't be friends with Stephanie anymore? _She thought. _But what about Valentine's Day? I made a gift for Stephanie, and now I can't give it to her? This is bad... this is very, very bad..._

After standing alone in the room for a few minute, Melanie sunk to the ground, and buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

As for Stephanie, she was sitting on Lucky, waiting for her brother to come back. She could tell that he was angry with her, but she was ready for anything he threw at her. Finally, after an hour of waiting, Blake returned to the ship. His death stare at his sister didn't scare her at all, for she had seen that glare many times before. The boy walked towards the girl, and crossed his arms. "What did you do wrong?" He asked.

_Oh boy. Here we go again. _Stephanie thought. This was something Blake would do whenever Stephanie got in trouble. He would ask her what she did wrong (Even if he already knew), and after she would answer that question, he would punish her in his own little 'ways'. But this time, she didn't do anything wrong as far as she knew. "Um... I didn't do anything this time." She answered. "And is that your way of greeting me after not seeing me for four years?"

Blake's glare darkened. "How should I greet you? Huh? You're the one who ran off on me!" He shot back, taking one threatening step towards his sister.

"That's because I couldn't take anymore of the crap you put me through! I had to flee."

"You mean you couldn't have just spoke to me about our problems?"

"While you were drunk half the times?"

"I was _not _drunk! I was just tipsy. Besides, I stopped drinking that disgusting stuff a long time ago."

"If it was so disgusting, why did you drink it in the first place?"

"To get rid of the stress!"

The siblings were at it again like they used to be. Fighting over what the other did or said which would result in a physical fight if one of them took the argument too far beyond the line. Mostly it would be Stephanie who took the arguments too far, which provoked Blake so much, that he would go all ballistic on her. After nearly screaming at each other for two minutes, Stephanie ended it. "Okay! Let's forget about your problems. Let's talk about why you wanted to talk to me."

Blake sighed in annoyance and began to explain. "Steph... listen. Your friend, Melanie. She's a nice kid."

"You're darn right on that one." Stephanie grinned, thinking about her best friend. Blake rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Right. Anyways, that's the problem. She's related to my worst enemy. That goody too shoes, Jake. And I don't want you or his sister to be friends anymore!"

At hearing those words, Stephanie felt a bit a rage boil in her blood. Was her brother trying to separate her and Melanie? He can't do that! "What?!" She exclaimed. "You've got to be kidding, right?"

"I meant every word, Stephanie." Blake stated, his voice dark and stern.

Much like Melanie was, Stephanie was very much outraged by this. So much that she grabbed her brother by his vest collar. "You can't just separate Mel and I! She's my best friend! She's my _only _friend! She cares for me, unlike you ever did!" She snapped, tightened her grip on his vest. Blake was not too surprised by the girls outburst, but he did had something to say as well. Violently, he grabbed her wrist and ripped them off of his vest. Stephanie tried to get away from her brothers iron grip, but it was no use.

"Listen here, Stephanie. I'm not gonna stand here, and be yelled at by my own sister!" He snarled, shaking her a little. "And I can separate the two of you! You are suppose to be as evil as me, but because you've been hanging out with Jake's happy cheerful sister, it was rubbed off on you. So bottom line: I forbid you to see or talk to Melanie! Forever!"

With that, he let go of her. Stephanie now had the urge to punch something. And she knew who that something was.

PUNCH!

Before Blake could even see the punch coming, it hit him right in the face, knocking him onto the deck of the ship. When he recovered, his death stare matched Stephanie's as he got up. "Oh... you've done it now, Steph." He growled, grabbing her by the wrist. But she broke away, and tried to punch him again, but the boy dodged as he kicked the girl in the legs, knocking her down.

Stephanie tried to get up, but Blake had placed his foot on her tummy, trapping her!

"Get your foot off of me!" She snapped.

"Not until you take this punishment I'm about to give to you!" Blake shot back, stomping hard on her stomach. Stephanie resisted the urge to squeal in pain, for she had to remain strong in front of her brother.

"I will never do it!" Stephanie refused.

Snarling, Blake began to stomp on his sister's stomach over and over until she agreed to be punished. _As if this isn't punishment enough. _Stephanie thought miserably. Finally, after about fifteen stomps to the gut, the nine year old gave in. "Fine! Fine! I'll do it!" Blake smirked, and removed his foot. "Good girl. I knew you would come to reason." He cooed, freaking his sister out.

"I don't see how you are so mature." Stephanie groaned as she got up. She was sure there would be a bruising foot mark on her stomach the next day. She relunctantly followed her brother into the cabin of the ship. If anyone else was listening, they would hear the cracking of a belt, grunts of pain, and evil laughter behind the door.

Right now, it seemed that both Melanie and Stephanie were miserable right now. Mostly because of their brothers.

The next day, Melanie went out to Never Land. She begged her brother if she could see her best friend one last time, and he agreed, however relunctantly. As she arrived on Shipwreck Beach, she saw Stephanie standing there waiting for her. At the sight of her friend made her run to to her and hug her. "Oh, Stephy. Can you believe that our brothers are separating us?" She asked.

Stephanie groaned. "Don't remind me. Our brother's are such pricks."

Melanie giggled. "Well. Jake is just strict in my opinion. I wouldn't consider him mean."

"Yeah. I guess my brother is a little... harsh on me."

"Really. Anyways, Jake said I could see you for one last time before... you know... break up our friendship."

"I know. It's gonna be really hard not to see you again. Or even talk to you."

"I'm really gonna miss you, Stephy."

"I'm gonna miss you too, Mellie."

"But I'm gonna think of you as a friend, no matter what- wait! Stephy... is that... a black eye?"

Melanie looked carefully at the bruising around Stephanie's right eye. The evil girl gasped, and turned away. "It's nothing really important, Mel. I just got in an accident!" She tried to explain before Melanie gasped. "Stephanie! Are those bruises on your back?"

Yes, even if Stephanie was wearing a shirt, Melanie could see the redness on her skin through the shirt. She could even catch some redness on her arms to. Realizing that her friends was gonna asked a lot of questions, Stephanie began to back away from her. "It's nothing! Really!" She tried to explain again. "Just an accident!"

"Are you sure?" Melanie asked. "Don't you want me to help you? You look like you're still in pain. Come on, Steph. You always let me help your injuries. Stephanie!"

"It's okay! I know how to do that now!" Stephanie called back as she ran towards the forest. "Goodbye, Melanie! Goodbye forever!"

Melanie sighed. Usually, Stephanie wouldn't turn down her help if she ever got hurt. So why was this time so different? Why did she refuse now? _Gosh. I have the feeling that Stephanie is hiding something from me. _She thought. _And I feel as if I need to know what it is. So it isn't goodbye forever, Steph._

**Well. We answered one question. Jake and Blake have forbidden their sisters from seeing each other, Stephanie reunites with her brother in a not so successful way, and now Melanie is a bit suspicious about those bruises on Stephanie. Will she find out where they came from? Will the boys regret their decisions? There are still more questions to answer as we go along. I'll see you guys later. And don't forget to review, please. Thank you.**


	4. Chapter 4: Investigating

**Hi guys. I'm back with another chapter of ARF! Here is when Melanie begins to investigate where the injuries on Stephanie came from. Though it's proven to be very difficult, as she may get caught. I hope you guys enjoy this. Also, today is Victoria Justice's birthday! So I'm uploading this chapter in honor of it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jake and the Never Land Pirates. They belong to Disney Junior. Though, I do own Melanie and Stephanie.**

Chapter 4: Investigating

February 8, 2014

Melanie was suspicious.

And she wasn't always suspicious.

But this time... she was...

Because she saw mysterious bruises on her best friend.

Stephanie told her it was from accidents, but Melanie didn't really believe that. There was no way she got a black eye from an accident. Somebody had to have punched her. If so, who was it? Did Stephanie get into some sort of fight? She did get in a lot of fights. So was that it? Or was it something else... something that Melanie didn't know about?

"Okay, Jake. I'm going out to Never Land. I'll be back for lunch." The nine year old called to her brother. After a few seconds, Jake responded. "Okay! Be careful."

With that, Melanie left on her boat. She still had the Valentine's Day gifts covered... if only she could give the one she made to Stephanie. Melanie started to row towards Never Land... which was hard to do since she never had rowed the boat in a long time. That was Stephanie's job. Well, it used to be. And since Stephanie was stronger, the oars were very heavy for Melanie. But it was worth it, because she knew that Stephanie would probably be at Never Land today.

_I sure hope she's there. _The little girl thought as she finally arrived on Shipwreck Beach. Looking around, she spotted some bright red hair venturing into the forest. It was Stephanie. Melanie began to follow her, but also in secret. Because she saw Stephanie's brother with her, and if he saw her, she would be in major trouble.

Carefully, she tip toed behind the two, hiding behind trees and rocks just in case either Blake or Stephanie looked back. For now, it was easy. But little did the girl know, was that is was going to get harder and harder.

"Now, Steph. Don't you feel a lot more _evil _now that you unfriended that preppy little twerp?" Blake asked his sister. _Twerp?! _Stephanie thought angrily. _Who is he to call my friend a **twerp?! **_She wanted to hurt her brother then and there, but she knew he would hurt her back. Melanie herself was a little hurt at being called a twerp, even if she knew Blake was evil.

Stephanie just huffed and nodded. Blake smirked. "Good. 'Cause we don't want you getting too sweet like her." He said. Stephanie scowled and looked away, not wanting to face her brother. Melanie frowned when she saw that. That's when she knew that Stephanie and her brother had some bad blood between them. But what caused that bad blood?

When they reached a cliff, Melanie hid behind a tree as Blake and Stephanie stopped to look out at the Never Seas. "You know, Steph... I really did miss having you around." Blake spoke up after a minute of silence. Stephanie growled. "Oh really? I thought after I left you were happy!" She retorted. Blake growled back at her. " What did you expect?! You're my sister, and I love you-"

"No you don't! You don't love me! You never loved me!"

"Since when?!"

"Ever since... _**it **_happened!"

"How many darn times do I have to tell you?! That wasn't my fault! It was yours!"

"How was it my fault?!"

Melanie cringed as she saw the sibling arguing. _Yikes!_ She thought. _Those two really have a bad history. _Due to being in her thoughts, Melanie didn't hear about why Blake and Stephanie were blaming each other.

Soon, after almost five minutes of screaming at each other, Stephanie stopped it by kicking her brother, knocking him down. "You know what?! You're an idiot! You don't care about anyone but yourself!"

Melanie had to admit. Stephanie could really stand up to her brother.

_**SLAAAAAAAPPPPP!**_

The sound of Blake's hand striking Stephanie's right cheek was like nails on a chalkboard to Melanie. She gasped as Stephanie fell to the ground. She then saw Blake glare at her. "Well. You're a brat!" He shot back at her. "You only give a darn for people I don't like! Sometimes, you don't even bring your butt home at your designated time!"

"I do so!" Stephanie growled.

"I don't have time for this bullcrap!"

Melanie watched with horror as Blake began to remove his belt. That could mean one thing: He was gonna beat his sister with it! Melanie knew she had to do something. She had to save her friend. But she also knew that she would be blowing her cover. _Well. It' not like they're gonna suspect that I was spying on them. _She thought as she ran towards them. "NO! DON'T HURT HER!" She shouted as she pushed Stephanie out of the way. Just as Blake raised the belt and brought it down.

_**SNAP!**_

Melanie screamed as the belt hit her on her back. Blake was about to raise the belt again, until he saw who he had struck. "Melanie?" He asked. Stephanie had also said the same thing. Melanie was breathing heavily as she looked up to the scowling boy. "What the heck are you doing here?!" He demanded. The girl stuttered. "I-I-I-I-I j-j-just saw y-you a-a-about to h-h-hurt S-S-Stephy... a-a-and I-I c-c-could let you."

Unfortunately, Blake didn't believe a word she said. "You were spying on us! Weren't you?!" He snarled. Melanie whimpered. "No... not at all. Why would I be spying?" She tried to pretend to be clueless, but Blake wasn't falling for that.

"You know... it's isn't nice to spy on people. And it looks like I'll have to let your brother know about this..." Blake said sinisterly.

At the mentioning of her brother, Melanie began to panic. If her brother knew about this, then he'll know that she was trying to see Stephanie. "No! No! Please don't tell my brother!" She pleaded the evil pirate boy. That's when Blake started to smirk. "Okay... I won't tell him... on one condition..."

"No... don't you dare..." Stephanie started to warn her brother.

"Shut up, Steph! I'm talking here." Blake shot at his sister. He looked back at Melanie as he replaced his belt around his waste. "Well, Melanie darling. If you don't want me to tell your brother you were spying... you need to do me a special favor..." He told the frightened girl, chuckling evilly.

Melanie gulped. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to get hurt by Blake. But she didn't want Stephanie to get hurt, and she didn't want to get into any further trouble with her brother. So she nodded and Blake grinned. "Good girl. Watch and learn, Stephanie."

Stephanie groaned as she was about to see she best friend in pain.

As for Melanie, she took a deep breath as she was about to feel some major pain.

Later on...

"Jake... don't you think you were a little harsh on Melanie yesterday?" Izzy asked as she and Jake began to set the table for lunch.

"You... saw me talking to her?" Jake asked a little surprised.

Izzy nodded. "Yeah. You yelled at her, and you made her cry."

"I was just being strict. I only want to protect Melanie and keep her from getting hurt and... wait... did you say she cried?"

"Yep. She was rather scared at your outburst."

"Gosh... I never noticed."

Jake now started to feel extremely guilty. He yelled at his sister, made her cry, and he didn't even know it. He didn't mean to scare her so bad. He was just being the strict parent like brother he was. _Maybe I was a little to hard on her. I was only trying to protect her... maybe I should talk to her when she gets back... _Jake thought. "You know, Iz. You're right. I'm gonna apologize to her when she gets back." Izzy smiled. "Great! I'm sure she would love to hear that."

As if on cue, Melanie came through the door, breathing heavily. Jake was about to greet her until he gasped when he saw her. Her clothes were torn and stained with blood, her hair was messy, her cute little face was covered in cuts, bruises, and tears. Pretty everything from her face to her feet was bloody. "Oh my gosh! Melanie! What happened to you?!" Jake asked as he hugged his sister, not caring in the least that he got blood on himself.

"I-I-I-I-It w-w-was t-t-that m-m-m-mean b-b-boy..." The girl stuttered, sobbing uncontrollably. Jake glared when she said that, for he knew who she was talking about.

"Iz. Take care of Melanie. I've got some business to attend to." Jake said as he picked up Melanie and handed her to Izzy. After that, he stormed out of the kitchen. Izzy looked at the injured girl in her arms and carried her to the room. Once there, she laid Melanie on her bed. "Don't worry, Mel. You're gonna be fine." Izzy assured her as she left the room for a moment to get a first kit. When she came back, she began to treat Melanie's injuries.

"Tell me. How did this happen? Why did Blake hurt you?" Izzy asked.

Melanie was hesitated. She didn't want to tell Izzy she was spying, but she didn't wanna lie either. So she took a deep breath and began to explain. "Okay... yesterday, when I saw Stephanie for the last time, I noticed she had a black eye, and and bruises. I asked her about it, but she told me they were from accidents. I didn't believe her. So I needed to investigate. That's why I went to Never Land today. I tried to hide so she didn't see me, because she was with her brother. But I saw her brother about to beat her with a belt, and I stopped him. He threatened to tell Jake that I was spying, but I told him not to. So he did... this..."

Izzy was shocked. Melanie was nearly beaten to death by Blake. "I didn't mean to spy. But I was so worried about Stephanie." Melanie quickly added. Izzy nodded. "I know. And it's okay. Because I know exactly what Blake was doing."

"Hurting her?"

"There's another word for that... abuse."

Melanie didn't really understand the word 'abuse' that well, but she knew what it meant. "You mean... Blake is abusing Stephanie."

"Yes. And it's not just abuse. It's child abuse."

"Ooh. That sounds even worse."

"It is. And sometimes, child abuse can cause that child to be emotionally broken. Sometimes... they can die from the injuries."

Melanie gasped. "Does that mean Blake is gonna kill Stephanie?"

"He just might unless somebody stops him."

"I hope somebody stops him... but that person... should be me!"

"Hold on, Mellie. You're already hurt by him, there's no telling what he'll do to you next."

As much as she hated to admit, Melanie knew that Izzy was right. She was hurt right now, so she couldn't do anything right now. But she knew that something had to be done about this. Stephanie was Melanie best friend, no matter what their brothers said. And Melanie knew she needed to help her friend at all cost, like it was suppose to be. Soon, Izzy had finished treating Melanie's injuries. At that time, Jake came back, looking even more ticked off. "Can you believe that jerk?!" He exclaimed. "I confronted him about Melanie, and just said 'I don't know what you're talking about'. Ugh! What a liar!"

"He is..." Melanie added. "And he's abusing Stephanie."

"What?" Jake asked for reassurance.

That's when Melanie began to explain everything to Jake. After that, Jake was shocked, and yet at the same time, not too surprised. "Seems normal for Blake. He is violent, so it shouldn't be too a shock that he abuses his sister."

"But Stephanie is his _sister _." Melanie reminded her brother. "His own flesh and blood. If he keeps abusing her, she may die. And someone's gotta put a stop to it."

"I know, Mel. But there isn't much we can do right now. For one, he hurt you, and I don't want him to hurt you anymore. For I think it's best that you stay here and be safe.

Melanie was upset once again. Jake was trying to keep her away from Stephanie **again**. How can she help her friend if she couldn't see her again? Where was the logic in that? "But Jake. I wanna help Stephanie. She's my friend! My best friend. And I would be a horrible friend if I didn't do anything to help her. And I think it's cruel of you to not let me see her again just because she's evil-"

"Melanie. ENOUGH!" Jake shouted, making the little girl, and Izzy, jump. After realizing that he may have scared his sister once again, Jake calmed down. "Sorry, Mellie. But I'm just saying that we're out of options right now... you can't see Stephanie... well, not right now. And we can't let Blake know that we know about this. There's no telling what he might do next. So it's best that we keep quiet for now."

As much as Melanie wanted to protest, she didn't want to irritated her brother any further. Jake saw her hurt face and sighed. "I know this is hard for you, Mellie, but this is for your own good. I just want you to be safe. I love you and you know that... and I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday..."

"It's okay, Jake. I forgive you." Melanie replied, hugging her brother. Jake grinned and hugged her back.

Later that night, when everybody had gone to sleep, Melanie carefully slipped out of bed and put on her clothes. Yes, she was sneaking out to see Stephanie. She knew she couldn't see her friend again, but she just had to. To make sure she was okay. The child carefully tiptoe out of the room and down the hall. Outside of the hideout, she got on her boat and rowed to Lucky, the Dark Pirates ship. It was a good thing the ship wasn't to far from shore, so Melanie didn't have to row too far.

As soon as she got there, she noticed a loose rope hanging from the ship. Melanie caught hold of it and began to climb it. If only she as strong as her brother, and she could climb the rope faster. Finally, she made onto the deck of the ship. Just in time to Stephanie swabbing the deck. So Blake makes her do work as well? He _is _evil.

It only took a few minutes before Stephanie noticed her friend. "Melanie? What are you doing here?" She whispered. "If my brother finds you up here, he'll kill you! Well, he'll kill me first, and then you."

"Exactly. Which is why I wanna help you." Melanie replied as she walked towards Stephanie. "Tell me, Stephy. Please tell me why your brother hurts you. What caused this? Please tell me."

Stephanie sighed and looked away. "You wouldn't understand. It would be too traumatizing for you."

"It's okay. You can tell me, Stephy. I'll understand. And I won't tell anybody else. I promise." Melanie told her while holding her hand over her chest. Her heart. After seeing that, Stephanie finally gave in. "Okay. I'll tell you. Sit down, it's dry."

With that, Melanie sat down beside her friend. Stephanie sat down as well, and began to explain.

"Well... it happened when Blake and I were younger..."

**And we'll see the rest of the back story in the next chapter.**

**(Audience 'awws')**

**Relax. It shouldn't take too long. Anyways, it's looks some more question are brought up. What caused to riff between Stephanie and Blake that made them hate each other? What was the 'it' that happened? You'll find out next chapter. And there's still more questions to be answered as we go along with this story. That's it for this chapter. I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you.**


	5. Chapter 5: The dark dark past

**Hey, everybody! Today's a very special day because it's Jake's birthday! Send him some birthday love! Anyways, here's the next chapter of ARF. Here is where we finally find out what drove a wedge between Stephanie and her brother. Warning, may get a little violent. This chapter will consist of some flashbacks as Stephanie explains to Melanie.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jake and the Never Land Pirates. They belong to Disney Junior. Though I do own Melanie and Stephanie.**

Chapter 5: The dark dark past

"What happened?" Melanie asked her friend.

Stephanie took a deep breath, and began to explain.

"It all started when Blake and I were younger..."

Flashback

_"Blake. Whatcha' doin?" Four-year-old Stephanie asked her seven-year-old brother. From what she could see, he was drawing a picture on a clean white sheet of paper_

_"I'm drawing a picture for Mother." He answered, showing her his work so far. Stephanie grinned. "It's really pretty. Mommy will love it." She replied. Blake smirked. "You bet she will. And I bet it'll make her get better from her cold."_

"Blake wasn't all that bad and evil when we were younger. If there was anything bad about him, is that he loved to pull pranks." Stephanie explained.

_As soon as Blake was done with the picture, he and Stephanie signed it and ran to another room. Blake knocked on the closed door. "Mother! Can we see you? I wanna give you something." He called. After a few moments, a motherly soft voice came from behind the door. "Come in, darlings."_

_The sibling opened the door and walked into the door, where their mother was sitting in bed. She was a beautiful woman was long black hair like Blake, and light green eyes like Stephanie. The children smiled at their mother as they walked over to her bed and climbed on it. "We made you a picture, Mommy." Stephanie pointed out. Blake rolled his eyes. "She means, **I **made the picture. She just signed it." He retorted._

_The mother giggled. "Well, it doesn't matter who drew the picture. It's very lovely, dear. Thank you."_

_Blake grinned. "No problem, Mother. I bet it'll make your cold go away." _

_The mother hugged her young children, for she was very happy that her they could make her happy anytime of the day._

_"Corrine! Get those filthy children off your bed!" Came a harsh voice._

"Our lives weren't perfect. They would be if it wasn't for Mrs. Hail."

_Blake and Stephanie cringed as they turned to the door and saw another woman. She was tall and a little muscular. She had curly red hair that was dark as blood. Blake and Stephanie never liked that woman, for she was cruel to them._

"Mrs. Hail was the head of the orphanage we lived in. My mom was one of her assistants. She never liked Blake and I. Never ever."

_"You disgusting little rats! Get off of the bed. Now!" She barked. Blake and Stephanie immediately got off of the bed as Mrs. Hail glared at them. "You know you're mother is resting, therefore you are **not **allowed in her room."_

"Corrine was my mother's name."

"_Mrs. Hail. Please. It's okay. The children just wanted to give me a picture Blake drew to cheer me up." Corrine tried to explain. But Mrs. Hail wasn't having any of that. "I don't care! They know they shouldn't be here."_

"She never liked Blake's joke, and thought I was too much trouble."

_Blake and Stephanie sadly left the room, but not before waving at their mother. The wished Mrs. Hail wasn't so strict. She was nice to the other orphans, but when it came to those two, she thought they were the Devil's spawn._

_"Honestly, Corrine. How can you stand raising those trouble makers?" She asked. Corrine frowned. "They are not that much trouble. They are just having fun, as so are the other orphans."_

_"Well at least the other orphans are well behaved."_

_"And so are Blake and Stephanie. Sure, Blake can be a little rough, and Stephanie can get little loud, but they both mean well."_

_Mrs. Hail said nothing, but left the room in a huff._

"And there was a time where she sort of went too far... well, in Blake's point of view."

_"Mother... Mother... are you in here?" Eight-year-old Blake called in the kitchen. He was looking for Corrine, for he needed her help in something very important. As he looked into the kitchen, he saw something sprawled on the floor. Blake took a closer look and gasped... it was his mother... with a knife deep in her chest..._

_"No... no... MOTHER!" He screamed as fell to the floor and began to sob. His mother was dead, and he understood death very well for his young age. _

"My mom was dead. I don't know what happened. I was only five at the time."

_Five-year-old Stephanie was staring at her mother in confusion. She did not know what had happened. She was in the kitchen when it happened, looking for some cookies, but she wasn't looking. All she heard was a scream and a thud before turning around to see her mother on the floor with a knife in her chest. She had seen her brother come in and see her. "Blake... what happened to Mommy?" She asked._

_Blake sniffed. "S-She's dead, Stephy... s-someone k-k-killed her..." He whimpered. Stephanie stared in confusion. "What do you mean?"_

_"Y-Y-You wouldn't understand, Steph... you wouldn't understand. You were in here when it happened... why didn't you stop it... why did you let Mother die?"_

_"I'm sorry. I didn't see it. I heard her scream an fall... but I didn't see it..."_

"And then Mrs. Hail came in... and she was surprisingly surprised to see our Mother dead."

_"What is the racket in here?" Mrs. Hail demanded as she walked into the kitchen. Upon seeing Corrine, she screamed. "Oh my goodness! What happened to your mother?!" She asked. That's when Blake walked up to the woman, and growled. "Mother is dead! You killed her! You killed her!" He snarled as he pounded his fist on her dress. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! You never liked my mother! You never liked Stephanie nor me!" _

_Stephanie watched in tears. Did Mrs. Hail really kill their mother? Mrs. Hail began to hug the eight-year-old boy. "I'm so sorry, Blake. But I didn't kill your mother. Honest, I didn't-" She tried to explain. But Blake pulled away from her, giving her a death stare._

_"Liar! You killed her! You **murdered **Mother! I hate you! I hate you so much!" He growled. Mrs. Hail tried to reach for him again, but he slapped her hand away. "Get away from me! Get away from my sister!" He snapped. _

_Now Stephanie was really scared. She had never seen her brother so upset, and so angry. She herself wasn't so sure if Mrs. Hail killed their mother. She may have been a strict bossy witch, but Stephanie didn't think she would go far as to killing anybody, let alone Corrine. Even Mrs. Hail was now a little nervous as she began to back away out of the kitchen._

_As soon as she was gone, Blake walked over to Stephanie and hugged her tightly._

"Oh my gosh... I'm so sorry on what happened to your momma, Stephy." Melanie said as she hugged her friend. "So that was the 'it' that happened. The 'it' that you and Blake were talking about." Stephanie nodded.

"I know... but I still don't know what happened, and who killed my Mom." Stephanie replied. "But anyways... this event changed both mine and Blake's life... in a pretty dramatic way... Mrs. Hail became a little nicer to us as sympathy. And while that was a good thing, Blake still didn't forgive her so supposedly killing my Mom."

_"Um... would you two like some apple slices?" Mrs. Hail asked a month after the tragedy. Stephanie and Blake were in their room, coloring. Stephanie piped up. "Yes... I would like some-"_

_"No! No thank you!" Blake cut in, his voice hard and cold. Mrs. Hail frowned a bit. "Oh... okay... I guess later." With that, she left the room. Stephanie turned to her brother. "What's wrong with you?" She asked. "Why have you become so mean to Mrs. Hail?"  
_

_Blake turned to his sister with a glare. "Have you forgotten that she killed our Mother?!"  
_

_"You don't know that! When she came into the kitchen, she was surprised."_

_"That's because she was pretending to be surprise so she looked innocent, but I wasn't falling for that... beside... it's partly your fault too that Mother is dead."_

_"Wait... how is it my fault?"_

_"You were in the kitchen when it happened, and didn't do anything."_

_"I didn't know what to do, and I didn't see it happen. I told you already."_

_"You didn't call anybody for help, and you didn't even try to stop the bleeding."_

_"I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."_

_"No matter how sorry you are, it's never gonna bring back Mother..."_

_Stephanie suddenly felt guilty. Could it really be some of her fault that her mother died, and she didn't do anything about it. She was only a little kid. She wasn't sure what to do... "Blake... do you hate me?" She asked. Blake grinned at his sister. "Are you kidding? I could never hate you. You're my sister... and I love you..."_

_Stephanie smiled, and hugged her brother. He may have blamed her for their mother's death, but as long as he still loved her, it was all okay..._

"But then there was that day that my brother... became evil..."

_Mrs. Hail was sitting in the living room, reading a novel. All the other orphans were outside playing. Well, at least she thought they all were. What she didn't know was that one kid was in his room... planning to do something sinister._

_Blake was in his room, gripping a red jump rope, and a knife from a the kitchen. "Don't worry, Mother... I am gonna avenge your death... I will..." He whispered as he walked out of his room... and to the living room..._

_As for Mrs. Hail, she had no idea what the boy was gonna do, as she was too interested in the novel she was reading. As she read, she couldn't help but think she was being watched. She looked around for a brief moment before returning to her book, not aware of the boy sneaking up behind her chair. He climbed up on the chair and glared at the woman reading. **You're gonna pay for what you've done, Mrs. Hail.** He thought darkly as he raised the knife._

_That it when the woman noticed a shadow above her. She looked up and saw Blake on top of the chair. "Oh! Goodness, Blake. You shouldn't be their. You could fall-"_

_But the poor woman wasn't able to finish her sentence as Blake reached down and stabbed her in the chest with the stomach. Mrs. Hail gasped in pain and was about to scream when Blake then tied the jump rope around her throat, and pulled on it, strangling her._

_"Ack... Blake... what on earth are you doing?" She managed to asked. Blake chuckled sinisterly. "You wanna know what I'm doing... I'll tell you what I'm doing... I'm getting my revenge on you... I'm avenging my mother's death... you killed her, and now you're paying the price..." He whispered in her ear._

_"Please! Please believe me... I didn't kill you mother... honestly.."_

_"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" Blake yelled, pulling harder on the rope, making Mrs. Hail gagged. "You've ruined our family. You've ruined Stephanie and I... and you're making up for it... BY DYING!"_

_Mrs. Hail couldn't believe that Blake still thought she killed his mother. She really didn't do it. She may have not him nor Stephanie, but she would never that far to kill their mother. Blake pulled on the rope harder and harder. So hard, that Mrs. Hail was blanking out and losing consciousness. Blake then began to laugh evilly. "Well. This is it, Mrs. Hail! Have fun in the after life... or should I say, **HELL!**"_

_With that, Mrs. Hail fell to the floor, blooding pouring from her chest, and rope burns around her neck. Blake removed the jump rope, and pulled the knife of the woman's chest, blood spewing everywhere. It didn't take Blake long to see that she was dead. He had done his deed... he had gotten his revenge..._

_"Blake...?"  
_

_The boy jumped when he heard that small voice. He turned towards the doorway, and saw his sister standing there, looking shocked and scared. Along with her were too other orphans. Lizzy and Charlie. Lizzy was seven, while Charlie was four. Apparently, they had all witnessed the whole thing. Blake gave them all the death stare. "You must never tell anybody about this..." He warned them all, his voice dark and evil... "We have to hide the body..."_

_"Blake... why did you hurt Mrs. Hail..." Stephanie . Blake hissed. "She got what she deserved..." He snarled._

_Stephanie was extremely scared now. This wasn't her brother. This wasn't the trouble maker joker brother she knew. This... was a monster..._

"He murdered Mrs. Hail?" Melanie asked in disbelief. Stephanie nodded. "And even to this day he still thinks she killed our mom." She replied. "And it got worse... the more sadistic he got... the more abusive he got towards me."

_"STEPHANIE! GET IN HERE! YOU'VE GOT SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!" Ten-year-old Blake's booming and sinister voice raged in Stephanie's ears__. I gulped, wondering what I did wrong. Without hesitation, she ran into his room. Standing before her was my brother. Arms crossed, and a glare on his face that said: "You're gonna get it." Though I didn't really know what I was gonna get. I watched as Blake closed the door and locked it. Oh snap. Whenever Blake locks his door that means whatever punishment I get… it's not gonna be pretty… in fact, it was gonna be severe._

_Stephanie smiled nervously and was about to greet Blake when her face met his hand. The seven-year-old fell down and touched her cheek—the one he struck—She could feel a hand mark forming on her face. Stephanie looked up at her brother, who was fuming. "DON'T use that cute face with me, Steph. It's NOT gonna make me go easy on you!" he snarled. "But what did I do?" She asked, standing up. Blake rolled his eyes. "Well, we could start with the fact that you were out late… again!"_

_"I was with my friend, Melanie. You knew that." She responded, knowing her brother could sometimes be overprotective. Blake growled. "Yeah, but you were suppose to be home an HOUR before you did!" "_

_I-I-I-I'm sorry, Blake…" She whimpered, receiving another slap in the face. "'Sorry' isn't gonna keep me from punishing you…" Blake hissed, walking over to his dresser and opened one of the drawers._

_Stephanie gulped again, afraid of what he was going to do to her. "I'm sure we can find another solution for this…" She suggested. Her brother chuckled. "But… we already have a solution." As he said that, he snapped a belt together. **Oh no. Not the belt. Anything but that.** Stephanie thought miserably. He saw her scared expression, and smirked. "Dear sister… I think you should expect this… get on the bed. Now." He ordered. Stephanie obeyed._

**_Whenever Blake is mad, he seems to be evil. Oh who am I kidding? He is evil. _**_She thought_

_SNAP! Went the belt when it hit Stephanie on my stomach. She let out a cry of pain as Blake laughed. "Blake, please! I'm pretty sure we work this out some other way." I pleaded. Blake laughed again. "We're working it out my way, dear sister. On your body. Your nice, smooth, and petite little body is gonna be red, raw, and bloody by the time I'm through with you."_

_With that, he began to beat Stephanie again. Every slap left big, red, and throbbing whelk marks and they hurt a lot._

_SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!_

_"Ow… ow… ow… ow…ow … ow…" Stephanie whimpered as she felt tears roll down my cheeks. Blake suddenly stopped. He was done… or so she thought._

_"Take off your shirt." Blake ordered. This is when the punishment gets worst. Stephanie reluctantly did as told. Her stomach already had some belt marks on it, and she was pretty sure my back had some too. "Hold your arms up." Blake ordered again._

_Two horrible hours of beating later…_

_Stephanie could barely move. She was aching all over. She was covered in blood and bruises. She could feel her brother looking over me. Blake chuckle. "Not bad, Steph. Not bad at all. Your body looks just like how I pictured it: Red, raw, and bloody. Now get out of here before I kill you."_

_He didn't have to tell her twice, for I got up and ran out of the now unlocked door. Despite the pain she was in, Stephanie managed to get to her room._

"Yikes!" Melanie yelped. Stephanie sighed in response. "I know. I was scared of him at the time, but later I got use to the pain, and I became pretty violent."

_"Blake! Where the heck is my ribbon?!" Eight year old Stephanie called for her brother. Eleven-year-old Blake groaned as he looked up from the book he was reading at face his sister. "How the heck should I know?!" He asked in annoyance. Stephanie sighed. "As far as I know, you were the one who washed my clothes this week. So you should know! Now where are they?!" She demanded._

_Her brother slammed his book shut, and glared at his sister. "Look. I'm in the middle of reading 'Flowers in the Attic'. I haven't anytime to help you find your stupid ribbons. So get out of here and find it yourself!" He snapped. Stephanie growled and snatched the book from Blake's hands. _

_"Well, you're not getting this book back until we find my ribbons!" She shot back._

_"Give me my book back. Right. Now." Blake ordered, his voice getting darker._

_Stephanie looked at the book, then her brother, and back at the book. "You really want you're precious little book? Here!" With that, Stephanie used the book to smack Blake in the face with it. The boy fell to the floor, rubbing in nose. It was already leaking blood. Blake snarled. "That is the fifth time you've broken my nose." He groaned. Stephanie grinned. "That's what you get for being a jerk." She replied before leaving the room, throwing the book over her shoulder, and it hitting Blake on the bed._

"And so, we've pretty much abused each other then. Even when you and I first met. I kept it a secret from you so you wouldn't worry. But then there was that day when Blake crossed the line... the day when I knew I was gonna leave him for good."

_Stephanie's ninth birthday was approaching, and she was ready for it. But right now, she was taking a nap in her room. She was to help her brother with exploring later on, even if she didn't want to. As she did rest, she could help but feel something pressed to her head as her eyes were closed. She tried to ignore it, but it was still there. Finally, she groaned and opened her eyes to find a gun pressed to her head... and her brother holding the gun..._

_"BLAKE! WHAT THE HECK!" She exploded as she shot up. Blake removed the gun and stepped back. "Steph... it's not what you think-" He tried to explain. But Stephanie cut him off by striking him across the face._

_"I CAN'T FREAKING BELIEVE YOU!_" _She screamed at the top of her lungs. "I CAN UNDERSTAND YOU BEATING ME, SWEARING AT ME, AND MAKING ME FEEL LIKE A PULP! BUT I CAN HANDLE YOU **TRYING TO MURDER ME! **WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" _

_"Stephanie, please..."_

_"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU SO MUCH!"_

_With that, Stephanie proceeded to beat her brother up. She hit him, kicked him, and slapped him as hard as she could. Blake tried his best to not scream and cry, but the pain is too unbearable. After about five minutes, she stopped, and glared at her bruised and bloody brother. "I am sick and tired of the crap you put me through. All because Mom died!" She snarled. "Get out of here! GET OUT OF HERE **NOW!**"_

_Blake didn't hesitated to follow her orders. As soon as he was gone, Stephanie sat on her bed and cried. Hot angry tears streaming down in cheeks. She felt betrayed. She felt broken. She felt... lost._

_What she didn't realize was that her brother actually felt guilty for what he had almost done. "I've really messed up." He whispered over and over._

"Oh... that it so sad." Melanie said after Stephanie finished explaining. "But don't worry. I'm sure you guys can make amends. I'm sure he wasn't really gonna shoot you."

"Maybe he was... maybe he wasn't... it doesn't matter. I still hate him." Stephanie replied as she looked away. Melanie put an arm around her friend. "It's okay. Like I said, you'll make amends soon. I just know it..."

Stephanie thought about it. Could she really make amends with Blake? Could he have tried to do it before, but she just didn't give him a chance?

_Maybe I could make it up to him... and he could make it up to me..._

**Wow... that is some back story. Now we know why Stephanie and her brother hate each other, and what was the 'it' that happened? But did Mrs. Hail really kill Blake and Stephanie's mother, or did someone else did, or could it have been an accident? What do you guys think? Tell me in a review. Well, that's it for this chapter. I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**

**Ps: Happy birthday Jake! And a big happy birthday to Daniella Monet! (Trina in Victorious)**


	6. Chapter 6: Now we know

**Hello guys. Here is another chapter for you. Here is when Melanie goes back home to tell her brother about Stephanie's story. But what will happen if Blake found out Stephanie told her friend? You'll have to read and find out. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jake and the Never Land Pirates. They belong to Disney Junior. Though I do own Melanie and Stephanie.**

Chapter 6: Now we know

Melanie had stayed on Lucky for a few minutes before she had to go. She didn't want her brother to find out she was gone. She didn't want to do through any chiding from him. "Okay. I guess I'll see you... when I can." She whispered to Stephanie, who nodded. With that, Melanie jumped on her small boat, and rowed to Pirate Island.

_I'm grateful to have a friend like Melanie. _Stephanie thought gratefully.

"Stephanie. Who were you talking to?"

_Crap! _Stephanie thought bitterly as her brother walked up to her. "Nobody of your concern." She retorted. Blake frowned. "Don't lie. Who were you talking to?!" He asked again, with more force. Stephanie sighed. If she couldn't get out of this, then she would just have to confess.

"Alright... Melanie snuck up here because of what happened today. She wanted to know why you're so abusive to me... so I told her..."

Blake was silent as he glared at his sister. To Stephanie, it looked like he was about to exploded... in which he did... but quietly.

"You swore that you'd never tell _**anyone **_about our past..." He growled darkly.

"Well it isn't my fault that Melanie is a curious girl!" Stephanie retorted.

"But you could have made something up!" Blake shot back. "You mean you told her _everything?!"_

Stephanie, with no hesitation, nodded. Blake glared at her, but did nothing. "Okay..." Was all he said before turning away from her.

But Stephanie, who was very cautious, saw the punch coming. She ducked as Blake's fist swung above her head, missing her face. Thinking fast, she ran past him, but wasn't fast enough as Blake grabbed her by her arm, nearly twisting it. Stephanie couldn't help but cry out, which made Blake laugh. "Ha! Just like before, when you were afraid." He snarled.

The girl whimpered. "Please, Blake. Not now. Not tonight. Please..."

Blake scoffed at her pleading. "Sorry, _sister._ But I think you need another punishment... remove your clothes."

"WHAT?!" Stephanie shouted, loud enough to wake up Lizzy and Charlie.

"You heard me!" Blake shot back at her, his eyes flashing dangerously. Stephanie glared at him. "Of course I did. I'm not taking my clothes off so you can do something dirty!"

Blake rolled his eyes. "You silly girl. I'm not gonna assault you. I would never do that. I'm your brother. And I love you-"

PUNCH!

"You don't love me!" Stephanie snarled after giving her brother a punch in the face. "You stopped loving me after you killed Mrs. Hail."

"Did you forget already? That witch killed our mother?" Blake asked her with annoyance.

"We don't know for sure if she did it! It could have been someone else."

"Honestly, Steph. Who else would wanna kill Mother. Mrs. Hail never liked us, so she killed Mother to make us feel even more miserably at that stupid orphanage."

The siblings glared at each other. It seemed that they both have different sides of what happened to their mother. But Blake didn't want to talk about it anymore as began to rip Stephanie's clothes. "I don't have time to talk about this anymore." He hissed. Stephanie shrieked as she tried to get away from her brother. "NO! Stop! Let go of me!" She exclaimed, trying to pull away. But it only caused her shirt to rip even worse.

Blake smirked. "Dear, dear sister. Have you forgotten that I love you, even if you deny it. But I hurt you out of love. Out of discipline. Not to make you feel worse."

"Well you did make me feel worse. You're the reason that I left!" Stephanie snapped. "That night... when you tried to kill me. I couldn't take it anymore... I had to flee from you..."

That's when Blake suddenly let go of his sister. Stephanie was at first confused until she saw the guilty look on her brother's face. Why did he look so guilty? He was never guilty before. She heard her brother sighed. "Steph... listen... when you told me to get out of your room that day, you had no idea how horrible I felt about putting that gun to your head. I never meant to shoot you. I was never gonna shoot you. I was just really mad, and I almost lost all of control of myself... I wanted to apologize... but you had already left... so, I'm gonna say it now... I'm really sorry for what I did. You had every right to be angry at me, and I understand."

Stephanie had to let this all sink in. Her brother, her violent brother was sorry for nearly killing her. But could she forgive him? She had to think about it. _Well. He does seem really sincere, maybe I will give him another chance. Maybe he could change. For once. He could change and be less violent... _She thought as she looked up at her brother. "Okay, brother. I forgive you. And I will give you a chance to redeem yourself from all the pain you've caused me..."

Blake grinned and hugged her. "Thanks, sis. I love you so much. And I mean that. Um... do you still hate me?"

"No. You're my brother. I could never hate you."

"Good. Now let's fix that rip in your shirt."

Meanwhile, Melanie had just arrived back on Pirate Island. It was still dark out, so hopefully everyone was still asleep. She figured that she should tell her brother about Stephanie, but wanted to wait until the morning. The girl snuck inside the crews room. They were still asleep. Thank goodness.

"And where have you been?"

Or not.

Melanie jumped when she heard that familiar voice. Gulping, she turned to see her brother walking towards her, a not so happy look on his face. "Jake! How long have you been awake?" She asked in alarm. Jake raised an eyebrow. "About twenty minutes." Was his answer.

_Oh no. _Melanie thought miserably. "Jake. I can explain..."

"Oh I'm sure you can explain. Over my lap!"

"No! No! No! Really! I can explain. Just hear me out, please!"

"... Okay. Give me one good reason you snuck out."

With that, Melanie began to explain everything to Jake. About Stephanie, and what Stephanie had told her. At first Jake didn't believe it, but when Melanie got to the part about Steph's past, he was shocked. He didn't think Blake would do something so sadistic just because he accused a lady of killing his mother. "Wow... I never thought that could happen..." He whispered.

Melanie nodded. "I know. That's why I want to help Stephanie. If we don't do anything, Blake could do something that could kill her. You have to understand, Jake. We have to do something..."

Jake stared at his sister with concern sincerity. "Okay, Mellie. We'll do something. But we'll have to wait a little longer, okay? We don't wanna alarm Blake enough fro him to do anything."

The girl smiled at her brother and hugged him. "Thanks, Jake. I knew you would come to reason."

Jake chuckled. "I know. I guess I've been a little too strict to you lately. But that's because I want you to be safe."

"I know."

"Now let's get to bed. We've gotta prepare for Valentine's Day."

"Okay."

With that, the siblings went back to sleep. But as Melanie slept, she started to have nightmares.

_"Melanie! Melanie! Help! Help me!" Stephanie cried as her brother whipped her over and over. Melanie was tied to a chair and watching in horror at seeing her friend in pain. Blake was laughing evilly as he brought the whip down on his sister's body. "You worthless little brat! You deserve this!" He cackled. Stephanie sobbed in pain as she felt blood leaking out of whelk marks and scratches. "Blake... please stop this..." She whimpered._

_The boy chuckled darkly and continued. Melanie had to look away, but Blake snapped at her to keep her eyes open. "After I'm done with Stephanie, you're next!" He snarled. Melanie squeaked. She didn't wanna get whipped. She struggled against her bonds, but it was no use. The rope was too thick. Stephanie's cries of pain were like nails on a chalkboard to Melanie. She just waited to see her friend like this. Why did her brother have to be so evil like this? Why did he have to be so cruel?_

_"You silly little girl! You think you're so smarter than I am. Well think again, because I have the upper hand this time... like I always have." Blake told her in a sinister voice that made Melanie cringed._

_"You know what. I'm through with you. Get up and stand in the corner." The evil boy ordered. Stephanie quickly did as she was told. Blake then turned to Melanie with a sinister grin. "It's your turn, Melanie..." He hissed. The little girl whimpered when Blake walked up to her, and cut the ropes with a pocket knife. He then grabbed her by the arm and threw her to the ground._

_CRACK!_

_Melanie screamed in pain as the whip hit her. It all hurt too much for her. "Please don't! Please don't!" She pleaded. Blake just laughed. "But... we just got started..." Was his answer before hitting her again. _

_CRACK!  
_

_CRACK!_

_CRACK!_

_CRACK!_

_CRACK!_

_"Please stop, please stop, please stop!" She pleaded over and over again. But Blake just ignored her and continued on. After about five minutes, he stopped. Melanie was covered in blood and whelk marks, much like Stephanie. Blake smirked evilly at the girl, stepping on her stomach. "You know... I think I have a way to get rid of you for good!" He snarled as he took out a gun. Melanie screamed in horror as Blake laughed evilly._

_"Say goodbye to your friend, Steph!"  
_

**BANG!**

Melanie woke up with a scream. She sat up and looked around, panting. It was all just a dream... well, more like a nightmare. But still, it was freaking to the girl.

"Mel... are you okay?"

At hearing her brother's voice, she turned to see him standing by her bed. Without hesitation, she hugged her brother, whimpering. Jake stroked her long red hair and kissed the top of her forehead. "Shhh. Shhh. It's okay, Mellie. It's okay..." He whispered softly and soothingly.

"I had a nightmare..." She whispered to him.

"I see... do you wanna talk about it?"

"... No."

"It's okay. I understand."

"Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you sleep with me for the rest of the night?"

"Sure."

With that, the siblings fell asleep together. Valentine's Day may have been a few more days away, but they still had plenty to do to get ready for it.

**Aw! That was cute. So Blake and Stephanie have made up (Sorta), and Stephanie is willing to give him another chance. Will Blake take that chance seriously, or will he just might mess it up for the both of them? Melanie has told Jake about Stephanie. Will they both be able to do something about this. As more questions are answered, more pop up. Like I said before, these will be answered as we go along with this story. So that's it for this chapter. I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you.**


	7. Chapter 7: Two Dresden dolls

**Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I've been having a bit of writer's block lately. And it wasn't fun. But now I'm back with another chapter of 'A Risky Friendship'! We get to see how Blake redeem himself for Stephanie, and how Jake makes up for being too strict to Melanie. Will both boys succeed in impressing their sisters, or will both boys do something they'll regret? Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jake and the Never Land Pirates. They belong to Disney Junior. But I do own Melanie, Stephanie, and the Dark Pirates.**

Chapter 7: Two dresden dolls

If there was one thing that Melanie really loved, it was dolls. Of course, most girls loved dolls, but Melanie had a very special connection with them. They made her feel secure whenever Stephanie or Jake wasn't around. They kept her company. Her most favorite was a dresden doll that looked just like her. It was a very pretty doll that she found on the beach. With red hair, rosy cheeks, green eyes, and a blue dress... just like her.

As for Stephanie, she also loved dolls. Yes, she may be a tomboy, she was had a soft spot for dolls as well. But the only special connection she had with them, is that she found comfort in them whenever Blake had abused her in the past. Besides Melanie, the dolls were her only other friends, even if they were nonliving. Much like Melanie, Stephanie had a very special doll that looked just like her.

Unfortunately, both girls forgot to bring their dolls when they traveled to Never Land. But that didn't mean they didn't forget them.

"Melanie... can I talk to you?" Jake asked his sister. It was the day before Valentines Day, and the pirate crew was getting ready for the Valentine's Day Gift Swap. That is when they exchanged caring and loving gifts to each other. Melanie had hid her present from her brother when he came into their room. "Um... sure, Jake." The girl answered.

Jake grinned. "Great!" With that, he closed the door and locked it. As soon as he did that, he started to explain. "Listen, Mellie. I feel really bad about how I've treated you lately. You know, with being strict and yelling at you. I didn't realize how much I hurt and scared you. So again, I'm really sorry for that, and I wanna make it up to you..."

Melanie was rather flattered. Jake didn't really hurt her that much. All he did was separate her from her best friend. "Oh... Jake... you don't have to make it up to me."

"No really, Mel. What can I do to make you happier?" Jake asked.

The girl thought about it. What could make her happy? Then, she smiled and look at her brother.

"Well... you could let me see Stephanie again."

Meanwhile...

"So, Steph. What can I do first to make up for being a jerk to you? Blake asked his sister. Stephanie smirked, as she knew exactly what he could do...

"Well... you could let me see Melanie again."

"No way!"

"Come on!"

"No!"

"Please?"

"Never!"

"If you let me see her, I'll give you ten gold doubloon I found."

"... Fine!"

"Thanks, brother."

With that, Stephanie gave her brother a kiss on the cheek before walking off. At that moment, Blake felt rather good. He rarely ever got a kiss from anybody. The time he ever got a kiss was from his mother... and just thinking about her make him feel sad and upset.

_I avenged her death... but I feel as if I hadn't done enough..._

Soon, Blake and Stephanie approached Shipwreck Beach, where Jake and Melanie were talking. As soon as they noticed the two bad pirates, Jake stepped in front of Melanie. "Alright! Melanie and I have been talking, and I've decided to let her play with Stephanie again." He told his evil double.

"Same for Stephanie." Blake replied.

Immediately, the girls ran for each other and hugged each other in happiness. Both of them were glad to see each other once again. "I've missed you, Stephy." Melanie whispered.

"I've missed you too, Mel." Stephanie replied.

"Now listen you too. Don't get too uncomfortable, this is only temporary." Jake told them.

Temporary?

TEMPORARY?!

"What do you mean temporary?" Melanie asked in confusion. "We never discussed that!"

Jake sighed. "What I mean is that just because we're letting you girls see each other again, doesn't mean we've fully discussed the situation."

"Yeah. You girls are pretty much still separated, but you'll be together only for a limited time." Blake added.

Both girls could not believe what they were hearing. Their brothers were separated them once again! And they could only see each other for a limited time. Now that was just messed up. But Melanie and Stephanie didn't want to argue with their brothers today, so they just nodded. "Good. Now, why don't you girls run along and have some fun while you can." Jake told them.

With that, both girls ran off into the forest to have some fun. If they could only be together for a limited time, then they might as well make the best of it.

"You know, Stephy. I think we should make the best of having fun today. And since tomorrow's Valentine's Day, hopefully we'll spend even more time together!" Melanie told her friend. Stephanie just nodded. And so the girls did everything they could to have fun like before, until Melanie brought up a very interesting topic...

"Stephanie... do you remember our Dresden dolls?" She asked.

"Our Dresden dolls?" Stephanie asked for reassurance.

"Yeah... I believe we left them back home..."

"Oh yeah. The dolls that look like us, right?"

"Right."

There was a brief between the girls before Stephanie asked. "So what about them?"

"I've been thinking... does your brother know about yours?" Melanie asked.

"Um... I don't think so... does yours?"

"I'm not sure..."

Another brief silence. Only this time it lasted longer than the first. Melanie and Stephanie turned away from each other for a moment. Both of them didn't know what to say about the dolls next. _What can I say about the dolls? _Melanie thought. _Other than the fact that they look like us._

The girls thoughts were interrupted when her friends spoke up. "You know... when I think about the dolls... I think of us as the dolls..."

"You do?" Melanie asked.

Stephanie added. "Yeah. I mean, we look like them. Red hair and and all. Plus we've got rosy cheeks like they do. We're like those two dolls." This was starting to confuse Melanie a little. How were they like the dolls, aside from the appearance? "The dolls may be inanimate, but let's think of them as being in their own little worlds... like we are..."

Now it was making sense to Melanie. The Dresden dolls were like in their own worlds... like the girls themselves. _Two dresden dolls... Steph and I are like two dresden dolls..._

Melanie kept that thought in mind as the girls continued to spend their time together. It was only a matter of time before their brothers called for them to come home for lunch. Melanie knew that she had to tell her brother about what Stephanie told her about the dolls. At lunch on Pirate Island, Melanie was hoping that Jake would think what Stephanie said was true or at least amusing. But instead he said this...

"Really? Dresden dolls? Oh, Mellie. Do you really have to believe everything she says?" Jake asked almost sarcastically.

Melanie frowned. "But it's true. The dolls we have look like us. Red hair and all." She told him.

"How come I've never seen this 'Dresden doll'?" Jake asked again, using air quotes.

"Because I always forget her. Besides, I could bring her if I remembered."

"Mellie. You're not a doll. Everything Stephanie said is probably a lie."

By now, Melanie was getting angry at he brother. "Are you calling my best friend a liar?!" She demanded. Now Jake was getting rather frustrated. "Well, I ain't calling her a truther." Was his reply. Melanie gasped at such a reply and, before she knew it, started yelling.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" She screamed, startling Jake. "FIRST YOU SEPARATE STEPH AND I, THEN I TELL YOU ABOUT HER PAST, AND YOU STILL SEPARATE US, THEN YOU FEEL BAD ABOUT IT AND TRY TO MAKE IT UP TO ME, BUT YOU STILL ARE KEEPING US SEPARATED, AND WE CAN ONLY SEE EACHOTHER FOR A LIMITED TIME, AND NOW... YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO CALL MY BEST FRIEND A _**LIAR?! **_WHAT KIND OF BROTHER ARE YOU, JAKE?! SERIOUSLY, WHAT KIND OF BROTHER ARE-"

Before Melanie could even have the chance to finish her sentence, she felt a hand strike her across the cheek. The girl fell down and rubbed her cheek. She looked up at Jake, who had a cold stare, and his arm raised. So it was him to slapped her.

"Melanie Elizabeth Hutchinson..." Jake began, his voice angry and dark. "You know better than to yell at me like that. And how many times do I have to tell you. Stephanie is evil like her brother. The nonsense about the 'Dresden doll' is complete utter mess and you know it! If I had actually seen the doll, maybe I would've believed you, but I don't see the doll! I'm trying to make up for being too strict, and you're being ungrateful! You're not giving me the chances I need, Melanie. I need you to let me show you how I can change-"

"NO! Just forget it!" Melanie snapped back, slapping Jake across the face. "I know you're trying to make it for it... but you're not trying hard enough..."

With that, Melanie ran off, tears streaming down her cheeks. Jake's anger and frustration was washed away and replaced with guilt. "Mellie. Mellie, sweetheart. Come back! I'm sorry!" He called. But she ignored him and kept on running. The pirate boy groaned and buried his face in his hands, realizing that he truly messed up.

"Aw man... what have I done?" He kept asking over and over.

Meanwhile...

"Dresden dolls? Are you serious?" Blake asked when his sister told him about the dolls. Stephanie nodded, and Blake laughed. "Oh please! You don't have a doll!"

"Yes I do. You've just never seen her!" Stephanie shot back.

" And why haven't I seen her, dear sister?"

"Because I always forget to bring her with me."

"Yeah right."

"I'm telling the truth! Why would you think I'm lying about this? Cause you never saw her?!"

And so, the siblings continued to argue, which led to physical fighting. It was right back to the old thing again. And they were just getting along well, too. But Stephanie knew one thing for sure... her brother had failed in making it up to her for abusing her.

"You know what. Screw you!" Stephanie growled as she ended the fight. "I gave you a chance to be nicer to me, and you blew it!"

Blake raised and eyebrow. "How the heck did I blow my chance?!"

"I asked you to let me see Melanie again, and I was happy. Then you and her brother screwed it up by telling us we could only see each other temporarily! So you still are basically separating us! And now, NOW you don't believe me about the 'Dresden dolls! What the heck is wrong with you?! What is your problem?!"

Blake just glared at his sister, and back away to a nearby duffle bag. Stephanie eyed him carefully as he reached into the bag, and her blood ran cold as he took out the Desert Eagle gun...

"You wanna know what my problem is, Stephanie..." He started slowly, advancing towards his sister. "My problem... is you! I'm trying to redeem myself, but you're not giving me the chance to. Just give me another chance, Stephanie. Seriously, I would shoot anything on this ship just to prove it too you."

"Forget it!" Stephanie snarled, turning away from her brother. "I could give you a million chances, and you would still be the same."

"Stephanie Marie Clark! Get back here-Woah!"

Upon advancing towards his sister, Blake suddenly tripped, and in the process, pulled the trigger.

**BANG!**

Blake heard a scream. He looked up and his blood ran cold. There was a red dot that was spreading on the upper right side of Stephanie's back. The girl herself was breathing heavily and crouching down. She turned around weakly to glance at her brother.

"Steph... I..." Blake tried to say, but words could not form. Stephanie continued to breath heavily as she took off running off the ship, and into the Never Land forest. She was hold her front, trying to keep the blood from flowing out too badly. Apparently, the bullet went through her back, and out her front. But she didn't care about that, she just wanted to get away from her 'deranged' brother.

As for Blake, he could not believe what he just did. He had shot his own little sister. He hadn't meant to do it. Now he truly messed up. And now he had to find her. After telling Lizzy and Charlie to watch Lucky, Blake took off into the forest, calling for Stephanie.

"Stephanie! Where are you? Please come back! I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

**Oh shoot! Both Jake and Blake have done something that they deeply regret. But will Stephanie survive? Will Melanie forgive her brother? Will someone treat Stephanie? Will Blake be forgiven? You'll find out soon... I hope. I got the dresden doll thing from the book 'Flowers in the Attic'. I've made a reference to a TV show. Can you find the reference and guess what TV show it's from? Here's a hint. The Tv show it's from is an old show from Nickelodeon. Well, that's it for this chapter. I'll see you guys later. And don't forget to review, please. Thank you.**


	8. Chapter 8: Two by Two

**Hi guys! Here is another chapter of ARF! Let's see what happens with Stephanie. Will she survive? Will she forgive her brother for what he did? Will Blake forgive himself? You'll have to read and find out! Enjoy! Warning: Contains heartwarming moments between Blake and Stephanie.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jake and the Never Land Pirates. They belong to Disney Junior. Though I do own Melanie and Stephanie.**

Chapter 8: Two by Two

Blake looked everywhere for his sister. How could she be running so fast after being shot in the back? "Stephanie!" He called as he ran through the forest. "Please come back! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Tears were running down the evil boys cheeks. What if Stephanie was already dead? What if she had collapsed on the ground, bleeding out? _Oh crap. If she dies, I'm gonna punch myself repeatedly. _Blake thought bitterly as he looked around. Where could his little sister be?

Suddenly, he heard someone breathing heavily. _Stephanie. _Blake looked behind a bush, and saw Stephanie on the ground, still holding her chest, and still breathing heavily. The boy ran over to his sister and held her in his arms, stroking her hair softly.

"B-Blake... why are you here...?" Stephanie asked, coughing up blood.

"Don't talk, sweetie... you're gonna be fine... I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to shoot you. It was an accident..." Blake whispered to her, kissing her forehead. "I need to get help... Hello?! Is anybody there! Please! My sister have been shot! Please help me!"

It was only a few moments before someone did come. It was Peter Pan. The redheaded boy looked down at Blake and Stephanie and flew over to him. "Blake! What did you do to that little girl?" He demanded.

Blake gave Peter a death glare. "I shot her. But it was an accident. She's my little sister, and she needs help."

"I don't believe it."

"It's true!"

"I'm mean I believe that you shot her, but I don't believe that it was an accident."

"It was! Now shut up and help me before she dies!"

That's when Blake suddenly broke down in uncontrollable sobs. Peter felt guilty, and then picked up Stephanie in his arms. "Follow me. We're going to the Indian Camp. They'll know what to do."

With that, Blake followed the fly boy to the Indian Camp, hoping that they would be able to save his sister's life.

Meanwhile...

"Melanie? Melanie, are you here?" Jake called as he looked all around Shipwreck Beach. He knew that his sister was here somewhere, because he saw her boat. "Mellie! Please. I'm sorry. I really am..."

"Are you really?"

Jake jumped a little when he heard that voice. He then saw Melanie come from behind a shipwreck. It hurt him to see that the hand mark from when he slapped her was still on her cheek, it only faded a little bit. Melanie stared at her brother sadly as she walked towards him. Jake frowned. "Mellibug... you know I didn't mean to hit you like that... I was just frustrated..." He started off. "I've been such a jerk to you lately... I should've believe you from the start about the Dresden doll... cause that's what you are... but you're my Dresden doll..."

Melanie didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure if she could forgive her brother. But he did seem very sincere. "Oh... Jake. It's okay. I forgive you." She whispered, smiling. Jake smiled back and the two siblings hugged. Melanie knew she could always count on her brother no matter what...

"Aw! What a family moment."

Jake glared when he heard that voice. He turned to where Lizzy and Charlie were standing. "Oh. What are you doing here? And where is your leader?" He asked.

Lizzy was the one who answer that. "He's looking for his sister after he accidentally shot her in the back with a gun."

Melanie's eyes widened when she heard that. "Stephanie's been shot?! Oh no!"

Jake's glare darkened. "I knew he would do something so low." Now it was Melanie's turn to glare at her brother. "Jake! She said it was an accident. We've gotta find them to make sure that Stephanie is okay."

"Okay. But where will we find them?"

"I'll use my crystal."

With that, Melanie grabbed hold of her crystal and a glowing bubble appeared. Inside the bubble was Peter handing Stephanie to an Indian, while Blake watches with worry. "They're at the Indian Camp!" Melanie exclaimed as she closed the bubble up.

"Let's go!" Jake said as he grabbed Melanie's hand, and led the way to the Camp, with Lizzy and Charlie following.

Upon arriving at the Indian Camp, Jake and Melanie saw Blake sitting on the ground in front of a hut, and Peter was sitting beside him. "Blake... is Stephanie okay?" Melanie asked with worry. Blake turned to the girl with tears still flowing down his cheeks. "I... I hope so..." He whimpered, wiping his tears. "I can't believe I shot her. I tripped and I pulled the trigger. I'm such an idiot."

Jake sat down beside Blake, and patted him on the shoulder. "It's gonna be okay... I know how you feel... I slapped Melanie earlier today... and I deeply regret it. But she forgave me... and I'm sure Stephanie will forgive you..."

"But what I did was way worse than what you did!" Blake snapped. "What if she dies? She'll never be able to forgive me then... and I'll never be able to forgive myself..."

"It was just an accident..." Melanie reminded him.

"And how are you not as sad as I am. Steph's your best friend."

"I know. But I also know that Stephy can get through anything. She's tough like that. Uh... where is she?"

Peter was the one to answer that. "She's in the hut in front of us, getting treated by the Indian doctors."

"How long as she been in there?"

"About ten minutes."

Blake sighed and continued starting at the hut... wondering, waiting for news on Stephanie. It had been ten minutes already, and she wasn't coming out anytime soon. _I'm such a terrible brother... _He thought bitterly. _Ever since Mother died, I've done nothing but abuse Stephanie day in and day out... when I was suppose to be caring for her... and it's all come down to this... Stephanie may die today because of me... it'll be my fault... all my fault..._

Melanie looked at Blake with concern. He seemed pretty distraught about what happened to Stephanie right now. "I should have never abused her from the start." He whispered, glaring at nothing. "None of this would've happened..."

"Honestly, Blake. There's something that we shouldn't have done..."

"And what's that?"

"We should've never separated the girls in the first place. We never realized how strong their friendship was... and we both tried to break it. We tried to break their bond... but we couldn't... because that bond is so powerful and strong..."

As much as Blake hated to admit it, Jake was right. The girls bond was strong, and it couldn't be broken. "You're right, Jake. We've both made a huge mistake. And we need to fix it..." The evil pirate boy told his good double.

Jake grinned, while Melanie smiled happily. The girl knew that the boys finally came to terms about the friendship between her and Stephanie.

_They've realized it. _Melanie thought. _They've finally realized it..._

After another fifteen minutes gone by, and Indian doctor came out of the hut. Blake immediately stood up and walked over to the man. "How is she?" He asked. The doctor grinned a little, and spoke. "You're sister is doing well. She's in a bit of a critical condition, but she shall live. She is asleep right now. If you want to see her, you must be quiet..."

With that, Blake walked into the hut, with the others following behind. On a table was Stephanie. Her chest was wrapped up and her hair was down. Her bottom part was covered with blanket and she, like the doctor said, was asleep. Blake walked over to his sister, and took her hand in his. More tears started to well up in the boys green eyes as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Oh... Stephy... I'm so sorry..." He whispered. " I wish I could make it up to you..."

Melanie hugged her best friend, knowing that Stephanie will be okay. "She'll be okay, Blake. I know she will..."

But it seemed like Blake didn't hear her as he planted another kiss on Stephanie's forehead. "Whenever Stephanie was scared or nervously about something... when we were kids... I would always sing her a little song to cheer her up..."

With that, he began to softly sing.

_**Stephanie, my little sis**_

_**We stick together, we never miss**_

_**No matter what I do**_

_**I'm always stuck with you**_

_**And if trouble comes our way**_

_**You know I'll come to save the day**_

_**Whereever you may be...**_

_**You're always stuck with me...**_

Blake stopped singing for a moment to release a sob. Then he started to sing again.

_**When you're feeling sad and blue**_

_**Call my name, and I'll find you**_

_**We have our bonds, that's tride and true.**_

_**You and me... me and you...**_

_** Two by two...**_

Melanie thought that was a lovely song that Blake was singing. She watched with a smile as Blake continued to sing.

_**What if you never wake up**_

_**What if I'm a brother no more**_

_**I'd give all the island's treasures**_

_**If you don't walk to heaven's door**_

Blake had turned around and sat in a nearby chair. Next to the table. But he still was holding Stephanie's hand. What he didn't know was that he felt someone grab his hand as he continued singing.

_**How will I cope without you**_

_**No way, no why, no how**_

_**I'd be very, very happy**_

_**If you just woke up, right now**_

As Blake let that last word trail on, he felt something poke him on the should. Turning around, he gasped as he saw Stephanie sitting up, and smiling at him.

"Hi..." She greeted softly.

"Stephanie!" Blake exclaimed, grabbing the girl and hugging her tightly. Melanie squealed with excitement as she saw her best friend awake and well. Jake and Peter smiled with happiness. Blake laughed as he resumed singing.

_**When you're feeling sad and blue**_

_**Call my name, and I'll find you**_

_** We have our bonds... that's trident true...**_

_**You and me...**_

Blake sat Stephanie back on the table, and rubbed noses with her.

_**Me and you...**_

Stephanie was the one who sang that line. And then, the two siblings sung the last verse together.

_**Two by two...**_

With that, the two hugged again. "I was so worried you were gonna die, Steph. I'm so so so so so sorry I shot you. It was an accident. And I'll never let it happen again." Blake whispered, rocking Stephanie back and forth. Stephanie began to cry. "It's okay... it's okay, big brother. I forgive you... I forgive you..." She sobbed. Blake shushed her quietly. "I know... it's gonna be alright, sweetie... uh, do you hate me..."

Stephanie looked up at her brother. "No... I could never hate you..." She whispered.

"And I could never hate you, Jake." Melanie told her brother.

Jake grinned. "I guess that makes us two by two as well."

Melanie smiled. Everything seemed to be going back to normal. Stephanie looked at Melanie with a smile, and Melanie came over and hugged her best friend. "Well. Things are going back to the way they were before..." Stephanie told her.

"Yep. And since Valentine's Day is tomorrow... we can spend that time together... and with our brothers." Melanie replied.

**Hooray! Stephanie is alive! And all is well. The song that Blake sung was 'Two by Two' from Sofia the First episode 'Two Princesses and a Baby'. I changed it up a bit to fit the chapter. So we've got two more chapters after this, and then I'll be done with this story. And don't worry, I will update Jake & Tori Stories 2, and The Day of the F.O.O.T. I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you. **


End file.
